MTV is going all in on its franchises, half hour comedy and reality shows, and girl power content, as they announced at the MTV Upfronts today. Says Susanne Daniels, President of Programming for MTV:
This slate demonstrates the creative breadth of what MTV can do – epic scripted dramas, irreverent comedies, inventive format-driven series, fun topical talk shows, all with a distinct, youthful voice.
Yes, Teen Mom and Catfish, which perform consistently on social media, according to Nielsen Social’s Daily Ratings, will return. But there will also be some new shows, according to an official statement. There’s Scream, based on the movie franchise, Greatest Party Story Ever, a half hour show that showcases “epic” parties, Follow the Rules, a reality show featuring Ja Rule’s family, and Girl Code Live, a half hour late night talk show led by three women and will “feature celebrity guests, musical artists, fun games and candid girl-talk in front of a live studio audience.” YouTube star Todrick Hall also got a new docu-series called Todrick that goes behind the scenes of his weekly videos.
Stephen Friedman, President of MTV said:
We’re exploding our development process across screens – getting faster, more daring, putting more projects into play and taking bigger swings than ever. We’ve exponentially expanded the ways we connect with our audience and deliver for our advertisers.
For advertisers, MTV also featured Always On at the upfront which “harnesses the power of its 220 million social followers to create and distribute real-time video and editorial content across on-air, online, mobile and social.” Recent campaigns like MLK is Now and the Beyonce-thon dance relay in Times Square are all part of the ongoing initiative. This 2015 line up is a culmination of ongoing trends in live game, talk, and competition shows, like America’s Best Dance Crew, which ends with an end of summer VMA showcase. All the shows feature strong social elements, whether its with hashtag campaigns like #askgirlcode or harnessing the legions of fans from YouTube like Todrick Hall.